Archives for August 2009

‘”He got into the game not because he knew it would be a moneymaker but because he loved it,” former Bills coach and GM Marv Levy says. “And still does.”‘

‘”I’ve already been told by some of the Hall’s officials that it’s hard to fathom what an influx of people from the Buffalo area will be there,” said Levy, whose bust was planted in the Hall in 2001. “Every time I go back there, I get the sense of, ‘Am I really here?’ The induction of Bruce and Ralph only adds to it.”‘

‘”It was planned to be a little short,” said head coach Dick Jauron. “We didn’t do one of the drills that we normally do. A lot of the periods are timed, but a lot of them are just numbers. So if they go through them quickly and there are no mistakes we get done a little faster.”‘

‘Coach Dick Jauron, on Thursday night, called it “very, very unlikely” that Butler will play after missing the past three days of training camp since hurting his back on Monday. Without Butler, the debut of the Bills’ retooled offensive line will be on hold.’

‘"They got me pretty good on some double moves," McKelvin said of Evans and Owens. "It’s very good for me though, especially being young, going against receivers this good in practice. It’s a good learning experience. I just try to learn from my mistakes in practice and not do it in the game. Going against our receivers will make it easier when you go out in game situations and you’re facing guys of that caliber."’

‘Wide receiver Shaine Smith, who was signed 10 days ago, has been turning heads with his playmaking ability. His diving over-the-wrong-shoulder catch in the end zone during his very first practice was just one of his many highlights.’

‘”As much as I try to come across that I’m still excited, the questions do get to be a lot. But that doesn’t say anything about my relationship with him,” Edwards said following a recent Bills training camp practice. “It just says that in any business, if you get asked a lot about a certain individual or certain topic, it gets a little frustrating because I do feel like we have other weapons.”‘

‘Lindquist was placed on the waived/left squad list. He was a rookie free agent out of Illinois.’

‘The defensive lineman is no stranger to the Bills organization having spent three weeks on Buffalo’s training camp roster last summer (Aug. 7-30). Jones has also spent time with the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers organizations as he was originally signed by Pittsburgh in 2007 as an undrafted free agent.’

‘”Regardless of what happens, you have to be ready to play,” Schouman added. “Even last year, in the past, it was no different with Robert (Royal). I try to do what I have always done and get ready for the games."’

‘”Getting the starting spot and being a full-time player and not rotating gives me more reps,” said Wood, who was one of two first-round picks by the Bills. “The fact is it gives me a better chance, more of a chance to get better and that’s something I have to take advantage of.”‘

‘”Cornelius (Bennett) was just leaving and Derrick had just played in the bowl game as a sophomore,” Guy recalled. “When I got there it was obvious he was talented. I watched the tape and thought this guy could be really special. We went through spring practice and I felt even better about it. I thought he could be really good.”‘

‘"It’s probably the youngest tight end room in the league," said tight ends coach Charlie Coiner. "I didn’t look that up, but if we’re not the youngest we’re up near the top. But I’m excited about their potential because we have some talented guys there. It is a competitive position, and there are different things that some of them do better than others. I think we’ll be able to get the right people on the field at the right time."’

‘Hamdan joined 24 current and former NFL players at the NFL Films headquarters in Mount Laurel, N.J., for the annual league-sponsored Broadcast Boot Camp. The four-day camp provides training in the broadcast journalism field and helps players decide what area of media they might be interested in as a post-football career.’

‘"I didn’t think I would get T.O.’s autograph because so many kids wanted it," Troy said. "We all had to run as fast as we could (after getting the wristbands) from the store and over to the tent, then we just waited for T.O. I was 30th out of 60 people, but I wasn’t nervous. … Now I got it and it was a really fun, cool day."’